How does Newton's first law of motion explain the movement of your body when in a car in which you are riding stops suddenly?
Newton's first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia, states that an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion with the same speed and direction, unless acted upon by an external force.
When a car suddenly stops, your body keeps moving forward due to inertia. This is because your body is in motion along with the car, and according to Newton's first law, your body wants to keep moving at the same speed and in the same direction as the car was moving before stopping.
To understand this, imagine you are in a moving car and you throw a ball up in the air. From your perspective inside the car, the ball moves straight up and straight down. However, from an outside observer's point of view, the ball moves in an arc due to the forward motion of the car. This is because when the ball leaves your hand, it still has the same forward momentum as the car.
Similarly, when the car suddenly stops, your body continues moving forward with the same speed as the car. This is why you might feel like you are being pushed forward in a sudden stop. It is the result of your body's inertia wanting to continue moving forward, even though the car has come to a stop.
The seat belt you wear in a car is designed to restrain your body and prevent it from continuing to move forward when the car stops suddenly. The seat belt applies an external force to your body, overriding the force of inertia and bringing your body to rest along with the car. This is why wearing a seat belt is important for safety in a moving vehicle.